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Tangalooma Wrecks

Who doesn't love shipwrecks? The rusting bones of old ship hulls waiting to be explored and admired with a sense of mystery, imagining what happened to them.

One of the most famous wrecks on Moreton Island is the Tangalooma Wrecks. Fifteen vessels that were deliberately sunk to form a breakwall for small boats also creating an amazing wreck dive and snorkel site. Snorkelling and scuba diving at this site is an incredible adventure. The crystal clear waters provide fantastic visibility to view marine life and coral formations such as wobbegongs, trevally, kingfish yellowtail and an array of tropical fish.

The Tangalooma wrecks came about in 1963 as a result of lobbying by recreational boat owners for a safe anchorage. The wrecks consists of a line of old Harbours and Marine Department steam driven dredges and barges on the edge of a sandbank that were deliberately sunk with the Maryborough being the first vessel. Recently the tops have been cut off them and signs advising not to climb on them have been erected to make it a safer swimming environment.

The Wrecks are not far off the beach so it is possible to swim out to them if you are wanting to explore and have your own snorkelling gear, but be aware of the current that sweeps between the wrecks and the beach when the tide is running, don't try to swim against it, swim back and walk along the beach further.